Hollywood Forever Cemetery Engagement Session | Erika and Dustin

DETAILS
December 8th, 2019
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Los Angeles, California
Engagement Session

Erika & Dustin

“A cemetery engagement session?”, you ask, “isn’t that a bit...spooky?” Only in the most incredible way! Erika and Dustin are an offbeat couple with a strong sense of style and a meaningful connection to Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

This couple has known each other since their middle school drama days but it wasn’t until 2016 during a weekend back home in Florida that sparks began to fly. Three years and a cross-country move to California later, Dustin took Erika to Hollywood Forever Cemetery and got down on one knee asking to spend forever together (forever in Hollywood Forever, well played, Dustin). She said, “Yes!”, and presented Dustin with an engagement ring to symbolize the importance of the commitment they are both making.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Engagement Session

Hollywood Forever Cemetery isn’t just a place to remember lost loved ones, it’s a beautiful, joyful space that hosts concerts, movie screenings, and celebrations. There are so many layers to this mysterious, magical space and, given their story and that Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of Erika’s favorite places, it was the only place that they could imagine commemorating their engagement.

When you’re shooting a cemetery engagement session, think about all of the amazing sculptural and architectural angles that can add an artsy vibe to your photos. Erika and Dustin posed in front of bright white stone buildings with the California sun shining and snuck into dark, sultry corners. Look past the graves and you’ll see such an incredible range of light, shadows, and art. Plus, it’s a place filled with memories of lives well lived — and isn’t that great symbolism for starting a life together?!

Yes, You Can Totally Use Smoke Bombs in an Engagement Shoot

In Erika’s own words, “The smoke bombs were a *little* terrifying but so much fun to experiment with!” Bringing smoke bombs to a photo shoot can add instant drama, moodiness, AND color. We did all of the above at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. 

When you’re shooting in a cemetery, the palette is monochromatic: gray, white, black. We used gray smoke bombs to tap into next level moodiness. There’s this calm in the storm vibe as smoke swirls behind a lovingly relaxed Erika and Dustin. However, we also brought in the unexpected with pops of purple smoke evaporating into the gray sky. And it all came together in an appropriately bold (and stunning!) statement for a couple that dares to do things differently.  

Want more of this spooky, romantic cemetery engagement session style? Stay tuned for an upcoming post detailing Erika and Dustin’s Halloween wedding (read: Hallowedding).